The Poetry of Rivers

Thirty third-graders spent a year studying rivers.

The end result was poetry.

In early May, the students – from Ms. Szymaszek’s class and Ms. Newton’s class at the Campus School of Smith College – gathered in the Smith College Poetry Center for their debut.

Nervous and excited before an audience of parents, teachers and friends, the students took the mic to read their poems.

Some relied on direct address:

“Hi you little trout in there.”

“Oh, little frog – what was your life like back then?”

“Dear River: Hi, River!...You’re a sweet old river. Bye, river!”

The poems captured movement: “Bubbling.” “Swirling.” “Twisting and turning.”

And emotion: “The tie dye colors make me feel lively.” “Watch out it’s exploding!”

And wildlife: Trout. Frogs. Woodpecker. Bobcat.

The students had spent a year studying the science of rivers, then worked for a semester with Cai Sherley ’19 on turning their scientific observations and personal experiences into poems.

Sherley, who led the third-graders in workshops on personification, revisions and similes, said the presentation was a wonderful experience – a chance for the young poets to share their work with the community.

In the end, each third-grader received a chapbook featuring the poems and color illustrations by the poets themselves. “It was important that each of them received a real book,” Sherley said, “because they’re real poets.”

And in presenting the books, Sherley expressed a hope for the future. “This may be your first publication,” Sherley told the young students, “but I hope it won’t be your last.”